Device for making injections



H. N. LOVE DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTIONS Sept. 1, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 10, 1951 I i Nvsrwrok Q-larolcl flqr-v-is kove d ITOMEYJ H. N. LOVE DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTiONS Sept. 1, 1953 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1951 guy/r22 m 0 Nvsm'rowg Alon-old. nrris Love (flrrc 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. N. LOVE DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTIONS mvshv o Q-lav'old-morris; Love rw m I Z a n w I ,C? 9 9&49 m z w \\54 Sept. 1, 1953 Filed March 10, 1951 H. N. LOVE DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTIONS Sept. 1, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 10, 1951 Sept. 1, 1953- H. N. LOVE DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 10, 1951 navcnrra v cur'olol moi/FL Love 6-, c m fix zli4 -fwa Patented Sept. 1, 1953 DEVICE FOR MAKING INJECTIONS Harold Norris Love, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Ideal Rollerand Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 10, 1951 Serial N 0. 214,966

Claims. I

This invention relates to devices for injecting serum or other liquid into the human body by forcing the liquid under high pressure out of a small orifice and through the skin without preliminary puncturing of the latter. In certain of its aspects, the invention has more particular reference to the construction of the cartridge or ampule from which the liquid is forced by movement of a piston element into a rigid walled shell containing a" measured quantity of the liquid.

One object is to close the liquid cartridge by a resilient stopper which acts as a piston in forcing the liquid out of the shell and also a diaphragm in maintaining the shell sealed.

Another object is to employa stopper of tub lar form having .one end adapted to interlock securely with one end of the shell, .the other end portion projecting into the shell and being elongated progressively as the shell contents are forced out.

Still another object is to construct the resilient stopper in a novel manner such that substantially all of the cartridge contents may be discharged from the shell.

In other of its aspects, the invention relates .to a gun forsupporting a cartridgein operative position and storing energy which is released to contract the cartridge endwise when it is desired to eject the liquid. A further object of the invention is to provide a gun of this character in which the force for contracting the cartridge is a plied hydraulically and operates to extend the stopper into the cartridge shell.

Another object-is to provide .a novelmech-anism for loading and reloading the gun.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevational view of one form of gun for use in collapsing the. ampule.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the line2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thecompleteam. pule.

Fig. is a fragmentary perspective view of the tubular piston.

Figs. 5, 6, and l are fragmentary sectionssimilar to Fig. 2 showing dilferent positions of the parts.

Figs. 8 and 9 are views. similar to Fig. Zshowing modifications of the gun.

Fig. 19 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the ampule.

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modified form of the stopper and illustrating its manner of use.

Figs. 12, 13, and 14 are fragmentary sectional views similar to Fig. 2 showing other modifications of the gun.

While .the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosure but aim to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling Within the spirit .and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the forms shown the drawings, the ampule or cartridge for containing the dose, usually only a few cubic centimeters, ,of liquid to be injected through the patients skin is indicated generally at 9 and includes a rigid cylindrical shell It composed of stainless steel or the like having at one end a conical nozzle l2 with a small hole l3 about .003 of an inchin diameter in its apex. Preterably, the shell is contracted at the base of 'thecone to form a more abrupt shoulder ll. At

the other end, the shell is curled outwardly and then reversely to form an external flange i l of rounded contour andpreferably generally semicircular in cross section.

The flanged end-of theshell is closed by a stopper which, in accordance with the present invention, acts as a pistonior forcing theshell contents out through the-nozzle and at the same time forms a diaphragm which provides an effective sealaround the piston 1112 4 1 P sitions of the latter. For these purposes, the stopper is molded from tough resilient material such, for example, a live oil-resistant rubber and comprises a tube [,6 which fits snugly within the shell to and has an end wall I?! which forms the discharge piston. To reinforce the piston and avoid puncturing the latter, a rigid disk er button 20 is formed on the end wall 1! preferably on the outer sidewthereof for engagement with theshculder ll when the container is emptied. The button isof-substantially the same diameter as the piston -andimay,

as shown, take the {or-moi ashallow core. When made of metal, the button {may readily be bonded .to the wall during melding :of the stopper.

The tube l 6 proiectsonly ashort distance into the shell and is formed at its outer end with a bead 18 which is molded to. conform to the surface contour of the flange H. Thus, the bead comprises a portion of substantially the same molded separately and inserted in and attached to the shell after filling of the latter.

The force for advancing the piston I? to eject the shell contents may be applied mechanically as shown in Fig. 9 or hydraulically as illustrated in Figs. 2, 5, 6, and '7. In both cases, the stoppered ampule is secured detachably in. one end of a casing 35 (Fig. 2) and 70 (Fig. 9) of a gun which incorporates mechanism for receiving and storing the energy required to produce the piston actuating force of the required magnitude.

Attachment of the cartridge to the gun is effected in the present instance by a cap 2! which fits over the shell I0 and contacts the entire external surface thereof leaving only a short portion of the nozzle projecting through a hole 22 in the outer end of the cap. At its other end, the cap is formed with an external flange 23 which abuts against the flat underside of the rubber rib I9 and acts on the latter to clamp the cartridge end against a seat 24 formed in the end surface of the casing around a fluid outlet 25. The clamping force is applied by a ring 26 overlapping the flange 23 and threaded onto the casing end.

The outlet communicates through a valve 2! with one end of a fluid filled chamber 23 which is closed at its other end by a plunger 29 movable endwise of the casing. Herein, the plunger is guided in a ring 30 which also serves to clamp one end portion 3| of a cylindrical diaphragm 32 against the end of the casing. Clamping pressure is applied to the ring by a flange 42 drawn toward the casing end by a nut 43, the flange being formed on the end of a tubular extension 44 of the casing 35. The diaphragm, which is composed of resilient material such as rubber, fits quite closely between the plunger and the internal wall of the casing, and its other end 33 is clamped against the inner end of the plunger by a nut 34 screwed onto a projection 36 on the plunger end. The diaphragm thus provides a seal which permits a substantial range of movement of the plunger and which at the same time is adapted to withstand the-high pressure under which the fluid in the chamber 28 is placed preparatory to contracting the cartridge 9.

In the form herein shown, the valve 2? comprises-a rod 3"! journaled in and projecting outwardly through the casing and having a conical end movable toward and away from a complemental seat 38 around the outlet passage 25. Such movement of the valve member may be effected by a screw 39 fast on the rod and threading into a boss 40 which projects laterally from the casing. The outer end of the rod carries a handle 4! which may be turned in opposite directions to open and close the valve.

To place the fluid in the chamber 28 under pressure, an inflatable bladder is mounted on the inner end of the plunger 29 for bodily movement therewith and is adapted to be inflated by air forced through a passage 46 controlled by a check valve in the form of a ball 41 urged toward a seat by a spring 48. The bladder comprises an inverted cup of relatively flexible rubber or the like formed around its open end with a peripheral bead 49 which is clamped by a nut 50 against a seat in the end of the nut 34.

Inflation of the bladder may be effected in various ways as by a hand operated pump 5| built into the gun and actuated as by reciprocation of a tubular rod 52 whose head 53 projects from the end of the gun. Herein, the piston 54 of the pump is fast on the rod 52 and reciprocates in a cylinder 55 formed in the plunger 29 and communicating at its inner end with the passage 46. Opposite end portions of the rod 52 slide in guides formed in the plunger and in a plug 56 threaded into the cylinder 55. The enlarged end portion of the rod 52 is threaded at its lower =end and adapted to screw into threads 51 in the plug 55. By removing a screw plug 58 from the outer end of the rod to open the passage through the latter, the rod may be moved inwardly'and screwed into the thread 51 to advance the inner end of the rod and thus unseat the ball 41. This permits the bladder to be deflated.

To effect final compression of the fluid in the chamber 28, the plunger 29 with the bladder thereon is moved inwardly by a mechanism which preferably is self contained within the gun and is adapted to be actuated manually from the exterior of the gun. While this mechanism may take various forms, it is shown herein as comprising a screw thread 60 formed around the exterior of a sleeve 6| which projects into the casing extension 44 which is threaded internally to mate with the screw. Endwise motion of the screw is transmitted to the plunger without turning of the latter, this being accomplished through the medium of antifriction balls 62 disposed between the abutting ends of the screw and plunger, the latter being held against turnins by a key 59 projecting into a groove 59 in the extension 44. A hand wheel 63 is fast on the outer end of the screw.

If desired, an external source of compressed air may be utilized alone or in combination with the hand pump 5! to inflate the bladder 45. If only the compressed air is used, a passage 64 (Fig. 8) having a seal 65 therein is extended through the plunger 29 and the sleeve 6| to a suitable fitting 69 adapted for attachment to an air hose 61. The fitting incorporates the usual valve for retaining the inflated condition of the bladder.

Loading and reloading of the gun for discharging a series of ampules with one charging of the pressure storage reservoir may be facilitated by employing the construction shown in Fig. 14 in which the same reference numbers are applied to the parts in common with the form shown in Fig. 2. In this construction, the lower end portion of the gun casing 35 is elongated and the passage 25 is extended upwardly beyond the valve rod 37 and communicates with a passage 99 which is inclined upwardlyand away from the valve rod. The passage opens outwardly through a projection 9| onto which a cap 92 is screwed to press a gasket 93 against and close the passage. Pressure within the passage 25 after discharging the gun may be released by loosening the cap. After removal of the latter, liquid may be introduced into the passage to displace any air that may have been trapped in the passage 25 after replacement of the ampule.

.The fluid and air chambers in the gun above described are correlated in size with the volume of the ampule itself and the pressures to Ebe' em; ployed. For example, if about .04 cu. in. of :liquid is to be discharged from the ampule, the volume of the chamber :28 should be approximately .93 cu. in. and be filledwith about :in. of fluid, theistatic volume of theiairbladder '45 being about .08 cu. in.

Preparatory to charging the gun described above, and particularly "the form shown in Fig. 14, the valve 2 is closed tightly, an lampule I is placed in the seat :24, covered :by the .cap 21, and clamped by tightening 'the nut '26. With the gun held upright in the position shown in Fig 1.4, the cap 92 isiremoved and liquid is introduced to fill the passages 25 and 0 completelynthus removing all :01 the air between the valve and the diaphragm l 1.

Charging of "the gun to the desired -high pres sure, preferably on the order of 12 ,000 p. s; is cheated by operating the pump to inflate the bladder T45 110 a pressurepf about 100 p. s. i. which may be gauged by the resistance oitered to movement of the actuating knob 53. About Ali-cu. in. of air will then be contained within the bladder Which will have expanded against the casing wall as shown in Fig. 5. *By turning the hand wheel 63, the screw mechanism is then operated to advance the plunger 29 inwardly thereby gradually compressing the=air in and aroundthe bladder 45 to a pressure of approximately 12,000

p. s. i. At this time, the bladder will have been collapsed as-shown in Fig. band the gun will be fully charged and ready for use,

After placing the end of the nozzle it against the patients body "in the proper location, the handle 4| is turned to'open the valve 2-7 and thus release the stored energy. The stopper Wall H or piston is thus 'rnoved outwardly along the shell forcing the liquid out through the opening 13 until the piston encounters the shoulder H as shown in Fig. -In this movement, the bladder 4'5 -ex-pands =-gr-adually; nevertheless the available fluid pressure remains above that required to sheet ejection of the liquid in the *desired manner through the patients skin.

After :the ampule has been emptied, the gun reconditioned for "use by =ii-r-st closing the valve 2-! and loosening the cap 92 to release the pressure behind the diaphragm. After *removal of the screw cap 26, the empty -ampule maybe *removed and replaced-by a new 'cne-afterwhich the passages 25-and 911 are refilled with liquid "as described-above If desired, the energy required for collapsing the -'ampule may "be applied mechanically to the piston -11, and, if desired, may'also be stored mechanically. A gun adapted to operate in this manner is illustrated in *Fig. 9. The 'ampule is clamped in the manner previously described against the end of acasing H! from which projects -a rod "H whose end 1-2 fits-quite snugly in the ampule recess formed by tube 16 and abuts against the piston 4 1.

The rodll projects axially through thecasing and at its other end carries a *knob "13 "by which the ro'd may be retracted against the forceofa strong spring '14 which surrounds a sleeve 115 in which the rod is guided. The spring bears at one end against a-fiange "It in "the sleeve and at the other end againstan inturne'd jflan'ge on a cap 11. The latter is threaded onto the exterioro'f the casing 19 and is turned'to effect the final loading: of the spring.

The spring is held compressed by -a 1 latch 18 projecting inwardly .Lthrough the aside of "the oas- 6 ing and adapted to be retracted by prS8ing;i11-: wardly 1011 the end '19 of ,a lever :89 pivoted rat I] on the exterior of the casing and engageable at its other end with a head 82 on the 1atch pin. A collar 83 fast on the rod II is notched atits peripheryto pass the latch pin.

In operation of this form of gun, the cap 1'! is unscrewed to reduce the spring stress and permil; the rod 'H to be retracted by manually pulling outwardly on the knob while the latch pin is held withdrawn. The pin is then projected inwardly so as to engage the flange 16 when the rod H is released, the pin passing through the notch in the collar '83. Final loading of the spring is elfected by screwing down the cap 11.

Next, with the gun inverted, the rod IN is advanced manually to force the piston l1 into the shell l0 until a bubble of the liquid appears'at the nszzle opening 13, all of the air thus being expelled from the ampule, Finally, while the nozzle is placed against the patients body, the lever end 79 is pressed inwardly to retract the latch "L8 and trip the plunger T5. The flange it engages the collar '83 through which the spring force is trans mitted through the rod II and exerted on the piston H. The latter is thus advanced to place the liquid in the ampule under the required pressure and force the same out through the nozzle opening.

Means may be provided for closing the outer end of the outlet passage 25 of the hydraulic'gun against th escape of the hydraulic fluid while at the same time permitting-pressure fluid to be delivered to the stopper 9 and the piston I! thereof. In the form shown in Fig. 112, this means comprises an auxiliary diaphragm in "the form of an elongated cylindrical cap :81 sized'toffit snugly Within the tube 16 of the stopper 9 and having a squared outer end 88. Around its open end, the diaphragm has an external "flange 89 of dovetail cross section seated in a counterbore of the gun casing 35 around the outlet passage 25 and clamped in the seat by a nut 9,8.

With the diaphragm 81 thus mounted, its closed end wilLwhen the chamber 28 is not under pressure, project from the end of the gun casing a distance substantially equal totheinitial length of the stopper tube I5. Thus, when the ampule is secured to the gun, the diaphragm will project into the stopper far enough to bring its end ,88 substantially into abutment with the piston II] as shown in "Fig. '12. Operation of the gun is efiected in the manner described above except that no precautions need be taken to avoid the lost of hydraulic fluid. During collapse Of the ampule, the diaphragm ,8?! elongates with the stopper wall I'B, the diaphragm merely serving as a medium for transmitting'the hydraulicpres sure.

Fig. 13 shows still another .modiflcation pom-.- bining the advantageous features of the .hy.- draulic gun .above described and a mechanical firing mechanism, thereby avoidi g the necessit y of employing the valve 21. As in the formshown in ig. .9, the amnule i -colian ed by pro ectin aplun er 9 into th t be .ifii as to advance the piston HI win -.th-e manner above described. Thistplunger fitsrsnugly ithin'thetube Maud isfformed'with .a peripheral groove defining an axially and outwardly "facing shoulder -492- engageable with a trip pin -93 when "the lattcris projected inwardly as shown. The-pin -may be retracted to fire the-gun by pressing inwardly on the handle ofa' lever 94.

"Th plunger is urged inwardly by a compression spring 95 acting between the end wall of the casing 35 and a piston 96 fast on the inner end of the plunger and slidable in a cylinder 91. The upper end of the latter is sealed by a diaphragm 98 having an external flange 99 clamped between the parts of the casing 35 which are screw threaded together at I00. The diaphragm is in the form of a cap fitting within the wall of the fluid chamber 28 with its closed end l! bearing against the inner end of the piston 96.

When the gun is hydraulically charged in the manner described above and the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 13, the gun may be fired by actuating the lever 94 to withdraw the pin 93. Under the pressure within the chamber 28, the diaphragm 98 is stretched and the piston 96 and the plunger 9i are forced outwardly collapsing the ampulse in the manner previously described. Then, upon release of the internal pressure, the plunger 9| is retracted inwardly under the action of the spring 95. In this way, the hydraulic pressure derived through the action of the bladder 45 and the screw 60 as above described is utilized advantageously in collapsing the ampule, and this while effectually sealing the fluid chamber 28 and without the use of valves or the like to control the firing of the gun.

The shape of the piston l1 formed by th end wall of the stopper may be varied somewhat depending on the nature of the gun used for discharging the ampule and the shape of the latter. For example, if it is desired to empty all of the liquid out of the ampule, the stopper may be molded to V shape as indicated at 85 in Fig. 11 and extended by a conical plunger 86 of a shape corresponding to the nozzle l2.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 79,225, filed March 2, 1949.

I claim as my invention;

1. A gun for applying fluid pressure to contract a cartridge and discharge the fluid contents therefrom, said gun having, in combination, a hollow casing having a fluid filled chamber therein and an outlet at one end, means for detachably clamping th cartridge against said end to receive and be contracted by fluid discharged from said outlet, valve means operable from the exterior of said casing for controlling communication between said chamber and said outlet, a

' plunger mounted in said casing for movement into and out of said chamber, an extensible and contractible diaphragm ring connecting said casing and said plunger and sealing said chamber against the escape of fluid past said plunger, an inflatable bladder mounted on the inner end of said plunger and disposed within said chamber, means for inflating said bladder and maintaining the same filled with compressible gas, and mechanism mounted on said casing and manually operable from the exterior thereof to ad- Vance said plunger into said chamber whereby to compress said bladder and thereby correspondingly increase the pressure of the liquid in said chamber.

2. A gun for applying fluid pressure to contract a cartridge and discharge the fluid contents therefrom, said gun having, in combination, a hollow casing having a fluid filled chamber therein and a valve controlled outlet at one end, means for detachably clamping the cartridge against said end to receive and be contracted by fluid discharged from said outlet, a plunger mounted in said casing for movement into and out of said chamber, means sealing said chamber against the escape of fluid past said plunger, an

inflatable bladder mounted on the inner end of said plunger and disposed within said chamber, means by whichsaid bladder may be inflated with a compressible gas, and mechanism mounted on said casing and manually operable fromthe exterior thereof to advance said plunger into said chamber whereby to compress said bladder and thereby correspondingly increase the pressure of the liquid in said chamber.

3. A gun for applying fluid pressure to contract a cartridge and discharge the fluid contents therefrom, said gun having, in combination, a hollow casing having a fluid filled chamber therein, means for detachably securing the cartridge to said casing for contraction by the pressure of the fluid in said chamber, a plunger mounted in said casing for movement into, and out of said chamber, an inflatable bladder mounted on the inner end of said plunger and disposed within said chamber, means for inflating said bladder and maintaining the same filled with compressible gas, a screw threaded into the other end of said casing and manually operable from the exterior thereof, and a bearing between the adjacent ends of said screw and plunger for transmitting the endwise movement of the screw to the plunger while permitting rotation of the screw relative to the plunger.

4. A gun for applying fluid pressure to contract a cartridge and discharge the fluid contents therefrom, said gun having, in combination, a hollow casing defining a fluid filled chamber, means for detachably securing the cartridge to said casing for contraction by the pressure of the fluid in said chamber, an inflatable bladder mounted within said chamber, and mechanism manually operable from the exterior of said casing to compress said bladder and thereby correspondingly increase the pressure of the liquid in said chamber.

5. A gun for applying fluid pressure to collapse a cartridge and discharge the fluid contents therefrom, said gun having, in combination, a hollow casing having a fluid filled chamber therein, means for detachably securing the cartridge to said casing for contraction by the pressure of the fluid in said chamber, a plunger mounted in said casing for movement into and out of said chamber, an inflatable bladder mounted on the inner end of said plunger and disposed within said chamber, means for inflating said bladder and maintaining the same filled with compressible gas, and mechanism manually operable from a point exteriorly of said casing to advance said plunger inwardly and thus increase the pressure within said chamber by further compression of said gas.

6. A gun of the character described having, in combination, a casing defining a fluid fllled chamber, means for detachably securing a collapsible cartridge to said casing, a plunger movable into said chamber to compress the fluid therein, means closing said chamber but releasable to cause the pressure of the fluid to be exerted on said cartridge whereby to contract the same, a bladder carried by said plunger within said chamber and inflatable by a compressible gas, and mechanism by which said plunger may be advanced into said chamber to increase the fluid pressure therein by compression of said gas.

7. A hydraulic gun for collapsing a fluid containing ampule having an axially extensible diaphragm defining an end recess, said gun comprising a casing defining a fluid filled chamber having an outlet opening, a resiliently extensible cap clamped at its open end against said casing to cover said outlet and having a closed end portion projecting outwardly and sized to fit in said recess, means for detachably securing said ampule to said casing with said cap projecting into said recesss, means for placing the fluid in said chamber under pressure, and a valve interposed in said outlet and controlling the release of pressure fluid from said chamber to said cap.

8. A gun of the character described having, in combination, a casing defining a fluid chamber and having a cylinder at one end, a piston slidable in said cylinder and having a rod projecting outwardly from the casing, means for detachably securing a cartridge to said casing for contraction by outward projection of said rod, a member operable from a point exteriorly of said casing and adapted when in active position to latch said piston against outward movement, an axially extensible and contractible resilient diaphragm within said chamber secured to the wall of said cylinder and bearing against the inner end of said piston to form a seal around said cylinder, and means for placing the fluid in said chamber under pressure.

9. A gun of the character described having, in combination, a casing defining a fluid filled pressure storage chamber and a passage terminating in an outlet, a valve controlling said passage, means for detachably securing to said casing and.

10 over said outlet a cartridge contractible by the flow of pressure fluid from the outlet, a passage in said casing communicating with said first passage between said valve and said outlet and terminating in a second outlet, and means operable independently of said valve for opening and closing said second outlet.

10. A gun of the character described having, in combination, a casing defining a fluid filled pressure storage chamber and a passage terminating in an outlet, a valve controlling said passage, means for detachably securing to said casing and over said outlet a cartridge contractible by the flow of pressure fluid from the outlet, means formed in said casing providing an auxiliary outlet through which air trapped in said passage may be displaced by fluid, and means normally closing said second outlet.

HAROLD NORRIS LOVE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ninnher Name Date 1,435,790 Bachman Nov, 14, 1922 2,380,534 Lockhart July 31, 1945 2,449,968 Smith e- Sept. 21, 1948 2,550,053 Ferguson Apr. 24, 1951 2,567,673 Lawshe Sept. 11, 1951 2,568,029 Seemar Sept. 18, 1951 

